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There is always a need for either full time or part time instructors as fitness industry is growing on a daily basis. Instructors are expanding and changing their career options with both land and/or aquatic fitness.

The one thing WaterART Fitness understands is that there seems to never be enough Qualified & Certified Instructors. With that said instructors are all ages, fitness levels, and come from a variety of educational and/training backgrounds including: retired teachers, nurses, fitness participant, swimmer, lifeguard or simply new and interested. There is no perfect background for an instructor; however, if you are interested and passionate about helping people to improve their health and well-being, then this could be a great career option to choose.

Where can you work?

Certified Fitness Instructors may work in many styles of both public and private locations. Check out City Parks and Recreation, condominiums, private clubs, schools, JCC, YMCAs, YWCAs Corporations, as well as you may specialize and work pools in private homes. There are really endless opportunities.

Industry standards require that all instructors be certified and qualified by an approved organization such as WaterART Fitness. Exercise Safety and liability protection is the most important reason to achieve Certification. Instructors who achieve Certification are eligible for insurance and liability protection.

To become certified each candidate is required to complete both theory and practical sections of the exam with a passing grade of 75% for each segment. Exam competencies are the same whether a candidate completes onsite eduction OR home study.

ONSITE educational (you do training at a scheduled location guided by a Certified WaterART Master Trainer)

or HOMESTUDY Education (you read manual, view DVDs/video streaming at home with self learning techniques). For water programming we recommend that you take laminated reference cards to the pool to practice your skills.

The examination process is the same whether you complete onsite or via home study education or a combination of both learning methods.

The Tutorials are a new option to the WaterART programs as these programs provide comprehensive narration and delivery of exercise science information in a very easy to understand DVD format. This is essentially the guided presentation a Master Trainer would give at onsite training.

The Goal of our WaterART Fitness Training Programs is to help the instructor provide exercise safety and appropriate exercise inventory for a general group exercise program. For your information, the groups that typically show up for exercise class may be a very diverse population with a huge range of ages, skills and health histories and medical issues. The goal is to train the instructor to monitor and regulate intensity level so that all participants are trained at their personal best (not too much or too little intensity). We provide a system of teaching basic moves that can provide multi-level programming with progressions and modifications.

In addition to the Basic Instructor certification WaterART offers more specialized training for programs such as Arthritis, Movement Disorders, Mind Body, the Senior Population, Kids, Post-Rehabilitation and Personal Training. This allows the professional to deliver appropriate programming for the clients that require special attention as well as being able to offer a wider variety of classes. For all WaterART Program options click here.

Teaching general group exercise requires different responsibilities, skills and education compared to one on one or personal training. WaterART recommends that candidates start at the basic Instructor level to learn the foundation of program and exercise science design.

All instructors must achieve lifeguarding qualifications and/or emergency safety qualifications prior to becoming full qualified. However, candidates may take the course and complete these requirements after the course or training but to become fully Certified - all candidates require some form of emergency safety training for liability reasons. Often employers demand different standards so it may be best to check with your potential employer first.

How do I get started in the Fitness Industry?

Check out the fitness facilities in your area and get to know their programs.

Take part in a wide variety of fitness classes.

Decide what type of fitness interests you the most. If teaching fitness doesn't keep your interest you won't enjoy teaching

Volunteer your services.

Talk to class participants, find out their goals and/or needs for a program.

Talk to facility directors, instructors, personal trainers find out if they will help you with training.

Where can I look for a job?

All community centers, condominiums, private clubs, YMCAs, YWCAs, Spas and Golf clubs may have fitness facilities and pools that offer job opportunities.

Check out your local fitness facilities looking for group instructors.

Realize that it is extremely important to become certified for the type of fitness you will be teaching. (land or water, group or personal training, specialty training versus general training)

For instance: if you are only interested in group instruction for healthy people then a general certification may be adequate.

If you plan to advance to teach in a specialized area such as for an Arthritis or Post/Rehabilitation Program, or decide to offer personal training then you need to upgrade your certification for that specific area. Never claim to be knowledgeable in an area of fitness for which you have not received Certification. Also, assume jumping into a post rehabilitation or personal trainer position will require advanced knowledge - so if you dont know the foundation (the Instructor program) then completing the examination process will become exponentially impossible unless you purchase the DVD Tutorial programs to supplement your education.

If you are interested in becoming Certified with WaterART Fitness, here's some information that you might very helpful:

you may create an account with us (no charge to receive our complimentary e-newsletter monthly) see link

All WaterART Educational programs are available via home study

We offer many programs. We recommend starting at the Instructor Certification level - however, if you are only interested in teaching people with Arthritis or Seniors - you may certainly start at a specialty level ( you will just need tutorials to help guide you through)

Here are all of our WaterART Programs. Many types of programs. (You may choose full Certification or simply a workshop or eduational resources for personal information)

All of our resources are hard copy (we mail to you) water or land (However, you may purchase online and get video streaming copies if you want to start right away. Mailing materials takes 1-2 weeks OR via onsite training events guided with Master Trainer ( you may purchase early and get materials shipped in advance or have event pick up).

All Certification programs involve a good balance of both theory education and practical teaching skills.

All Certification programs have unique manuals, reference cards, study guide questions and answers as well as excellent DVDs to supplement visual learning.

All courses are for INDIVIDUAL USE ONLY. Each person must purchase
their own course or onsite materials for certification. All
exams must be completed in your own time within (4 months for ONSITE
training) OR (6 months for home study).

There are late penalty fees
after this date and after a year we no longer take the exam submission.

If I have more than one WaterART Certification do I have to renew each one separately?

No. You need only renew the HIGHEST level of certification. If you have lesser certifications these are automatically renewed for the same time period. If you advance to an even higher level of certification - your renewal date will automatically become 2 years from the date of that certification.

Liability Insurance Availability

Only Certified Instructors or Trainers that possess a valid diploma may utilize the title Certified. Certified Instructors or Trainers are eligible for liability insurance coverage. WaterART is the only recognized Aquatic Fitness provider for the Ontario Fitness Council (OFC) & Fitness Practitioners Association of Ontario (FPAO) which is part of the NFLA -National Fitness Leadership Association (British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association, Alberta Fitness Certification Leadership Association, Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association, Manitoba Fitness Council, Fitness Practitioners Association of Ontario/OFC, Fitness New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia Fitness Association). These organizations were unanimously approved by theInternational Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals Board, ICREPS is supported and promoted by IHRSA